E-mails: Microsoft execs raised ‘Vista Capable’ concerns

At a hearing in federal court in Seattle today, lawyers debated whether the lawsuit over Microsoft’s “Windows Vista Capable” stickers should be granted class-action status. As in past legal cases against the company, internal e-mails from Microsoft executives and employees were once again used as evidence to bolster the plaintiffs’ case.

Quick background, for those just tuning in: The suit, filed last year, alleges that some people bought “Vista Capable” machines thinking they would be able to run all the Windows Vista features that Microsoft was promoting — such as Aero Glass, Flip3D, and the Media Center interface — even when their machines were only capable of running the bare-bones Windows Vista Home Basic. Microsoft says that there was plenty of information available to people to distinguish among the different Vista editions.

To bolster their case court today, the plaintiffs’ lawyers cited e-mails from Microsoft executives including Windows product management VP Mike Nash and former Windows chief Jim Allchin. The e-mails are under seal, so the full text isn’t publicly available. However, P-I reporter Joseph Tartakoff was there to report on the hearing and he took notes as excerpts were read aloud in court. See his full story here.

One employee wrote, “Even a piece of junk will qualify.”

Allchin wrote, “We really botched this. … You guys have to do a better job with our customers.”

Nash wrote, “I PERSONALLY got burnt. … Are we seeing this from a lot of customers? … I now have a $2,100 e-mail machine.”

Microsoft’s statement, via spokesman David Bowermaster:

“The emails cited in today’s hearing are isolated, and in many instances, outdated and really just snippets of a broad and thorough review that took place during the development of the Windows Vista Capable program. Throughout this review, Microsoft employees raised concerns and addressed issues with the aim of making this program better for our partners and more valuable for consumers. In the end, we believe we achieved both objectives.”

U.S. District Judge Marsha Pechman is expected to rule on the class-action status in about 10 days.